For braking or accelerating the bulk containers, large forces are needed, particularly when railroad cars to be loaded are combined in a train, so that, as a rule, railroad cars are loaded while they are moving. During the loading of moving railroad cars it is difficult, however, to also completely fill their front regions as seen in the direction of travel, especially close to the front edge of railroad car. The reason for the above is that, on the one hand, at the beginning of the loading process, the bulk material stream only builds up to its full force with a certain delay and, on the other hand, the loading process can be started only when the railroad car, especially the front edge of the railroad car, is in a position in which the bulk material stream flows entirely into the railroad car. Once the bulk material stream has developed its full force, the front edge of the railroad car has already moved forward further so that a complete filling of this region is not possible.
To counter this problem, GB-A-2 283 226 proposes a loading apparatus having a loading chute which is disposed under a bulk hopper and which can be moved parallel to the railroad car to be loaded and which comprises an intermediate bin. At the beginning of the loading process, the front region of the developing bulk material stream as seen in the direction of travel is first guided into the intermediate bin, whereas the rear region of the bulk material stream as seen in the direction of travel flows directly into the railroad car. The loading chute follows the movement of the railroad car to be loaded on a partial section such that the railroad car is also being filled in its front region, with the intermediate bin also being discharged into the railroad car because of the movement of the loading chute. During this process, the bulk material from the intermediate bin is guided into the railroad car via the front region of the movable chute as seen in the direction of travel of the railroad car so that this material preferably serves to fill the front region of the railroad car. Before loading the next railroad car, the loading chute must be moved back into its initial position.